The Beginning of the Gospel
Introduction
“The beginning of the proclamation of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (full stop). Modern readers are accustomed to books with attractive dust jackets trumpeting the title of the work and the name of the author, appealing graphics designed to grab the attention of potential buyers, and a snappy blurb summarizing its contents and recommending its purchase. The opening pages of modern books include a title page, a foreword, a preface, and an introduction to provide the reader with some background information before they begin to read. Ancient writers did not have such luxuries, but they did try to alert the reader to the scope of the work with a title or introductory phrase. The opening line, “the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” tells us what this work is about.1 It immediately informs the reader that the story this book recounts is no typical one.